Senator Lindsey Graham Should go to Syria and Stay There

BBSNews 2013-04-29 — By Michael Hess. On Face the Nation this past Sunday here again, is Senator Lyndsey Graham doing his schict trying to get the United States embroiled in yet another Middle East war, it’s a non-stop drumbeat coming from the Tea Party favorite, the Senator from South Carolina.

He should go to Syria, stay there, and let the United States know how he sees things from there day to day, week to week, month to month. Maybe he can be on Syrian State TV with his nonsensical criticism of the Obama administration, the FBI over the Boston Marathon bombings, and any other institution that he does not see as neocon-trickle-down-Tea Party Obama hating worthy.

So here he is, on FTN, and he let’s loose with this real doozy that is not getting near enough play if any in traditional media:

“And the next bomb that goes off in America may not have nails and glass in it.”

That sounds eerily like a statement that America has heard before. Let’s see, what was that? Oh here it is:

“…But we don’t want the smoking gun to be a mushroom cloud.”

That was Condoleeza Rice to Wolf Blitzer in 2002 in the run up to the last war of choice in Iraq as recounted by Blitzer in 2003 just months before “Shock and Awe”.

It may be a good sign this time that the traditional media is not making the same mistakes in telegraphing Graham’s channeling of Rice.

So far, Syria is accused of using chemical weapons in Syria but it has not been shown to be a fact. It might by “likely”, it certainly is possible given that there is supposed to be a good bit of various types of chemical weapons there; the problem is, and no one can say with certainty yet, if they were used, who used them? Is Assad that desperate and that completely crazed that he would use them in a bid to stay in power even knowing such use is likely to bring a response that will make his staying in power or even alive increasingly impossible?

And the questions continue. Have the rebels let loose of some of them to make it look like Assad has used them? Or worse yet, has some Al Qaeda affiliate in Syria gotten hold of them and used them with the same intent?

There are no real answers yet, at least none that have been declassified and released to the American public yet Lyndsey Graham is intent on stirring up the neocon base of his party, the ‘bagger led GOP party, that has been hellbent on tearing itself apart in a little civil war of their own. There’s even talk about primarying Graham in the feeding frenzy currently going on in the “Grand Old Party”.

Some of the neocons and their hangers on are quite happy to criticize President Obama about his “red line” statements and clamor for some sort of immediate attack on Syria – without actually specifying what that action would be and whether they have thought through little details like how Russia might feel about their client state of Syria being attacked?

And of course China has not been very amused at the idea of repeated US forays into various conflicts in the region either.

For his part, Senator Graham suggests “One way you can stop the Syrian air force from flying is to bomb the Syrian airbases with cruise missiles.” Well sure. That will do it. But that is an overt act of war. Is Senator Graham suggesting that the US Congress will make such a declaration? Would Graham like to share with the public what the Russians will likely think or even do if the US was to take such an action?

Another thought by Graham is arming the rebels. Well there’s a novel idea… Which rebels? Graham says “Let’s give the right weapons to the right people.” Okay Senator.

That’s why I am suggesting that you go to Syria on a fact finding mission and let us know back here who the right people are.

In the meantime, President Obama, in his usual nuanced and cerebral way will continue on the path of verifying whether chemical weapons have been used, who used them, and then make a “red line” policy decision based on facts and not knee-jerk emotional reaction in a bid to score political points.

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I have much pleasure in conveying to you, on behalf of His Majesty's Government, the following declaration of sympathy with Jewish Zionist aspirations which has been submitted to, and approved by, the Cabinet.

"His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country."

I should be grateful if you would bring this declaration to the knowledge of the Zionist Federation.

"A census of Palestine conducted by the Mandatory government on 23 October 1922. Population figures in the census featured a breakdown by district of residence, religion, language and age.

The total population of Palestine was given as 757,182, of whom 590,890 (78%) were Muslims (“Mohammedans”), 83,794 (11%) Jews, 73,024 (9%) Christians and 9,474 others. The population of Jerusalem was given as 62,578, of whom 13,413 were Muslims, 33,971 Jews, 14,699 Christians and 495 others." From the report:

"In accordance with the provisions of the Proclamation of 1st September 1922, published in the Official Gazette of the same date, a census of Palestine was held on the night of the twenty-second -- twenty-third of October, 1922."

"(1) To those colonies and territories which as a consequence of the late war have ceased to be under the sovereignty of the States which formerly governed them and which are inhabited by peoples not yet able to stand by themselves under the strenuous conditions of the modern world, there should be applied the principle that the well-being and development of such peoples form a sacred trust of civilisation and that securities for the performance of this trust should be embodied in this Covenant...

(4) Certain communities formerly belonging to the Turkish Empire have reached a stage of development where their existence as independent nations can be provisionally recognized subject to the rendering of administrative advice and assistance by a Mandatory until such time as they are able to stand alone. The wishes of these communities must be a principal consideration in the selection of the Mandatory..."

-- Avalon Project at Yale Law School, "The Covenant of the League of Nations, Including Amendments adopted to December, 1924, June 28th, 1919," Lillian Goldman Law Library. (accessed December 2nd, 2016).